MLS 2011: Top Trades Of The Year

Each year I do season predictions and nearly every year I boldly state that a trade will shake up the season (take that with a hint of sarcasm if you will). Well, this season is just like many of the past where teams wheel and deal in hopes of bettering their playoff hopes.

I’ve compiled some of the best trades of the season and how they effected the league this year.

1. Dwayne De Rosario to DC United from New York Red Bulls for Dax McCarty – This is a good place to start, the DeRo deal round two. He was dealt from Toronto to New York back in April for Danleigh Boreman and Toni Tchani before heading to DC in June for McCarty. If DeRo can get United into the playoffs here this season this could go down as one of the best moves the league has seen in quite some time. It was a bold move for both sides but one that definitely had more of an impact on DC in the long run.

2. Jack Jewsbury to Portland Timbers from Sporting Kansas City – I’ve been a big fan of this move since day one. Portland got a captain and a leader out of this deal while Sporting picked up a little pocket change. Jewsbury has helped carry the Timbers to a playoff hopeful in their expansion season.

3. Andrew Jacobson to FC Dallas from Philadelphia Union – Another pre-season deal that was for allocation. Dallas picked up a player that definitely helped them go on a long unbeaten run earlier in the year. Before he got banged up in the summer, AJ partnered well with veteran Daniel Hernandez, a move that FCD had been looking for since losing Dax McCarty the previous year in the expansion draft.

4. Dominic Oduro to Chicago Fire from Houston Dynamo – We all laughed at this deal at the beginning of the year for the Fire but boy were we ever wrong about it. Oduro may not have the best finishing ability but for some reason he’s been able to make it work in Chicago. Without him scoring the Fire would not even be close to contending to be in the playoffs today. Just have to wonder what it would be like if this guy could actually finish more of his shots. I know Dallas, New York and Houston fans all wondered that as well.

5. Nick LaBrocca to Chivas USA from Toronto FC for Alan Gordon – This one ended up being good for Chivas in the end. Toronto once again gave up a player who ended up doing miles better away from BMO Field. LaBrocca was one of the key players for Chivas USA this season and could be a nice building block for Robin Fraser for next season.

6. Brian Carroll to Philadelphia Union from Columbus Crew – A small trade in some circles but most who know these two clubs know what kind of move it was for the Union. Carroll isn’t a player you think of right off the top of your head when improving your club over a winter break but for the Union he was an instant upgrade to the Union’s defensive midfield. He was a big part of the Crew’s couple year run that saw them as one of the league’s best clubs but when they decided to blow up the roster teams like Philly were smart to take note and snag players like Carroll.

7. Heath Pearce to Chivas USA from FC Dallas – Another strong move for Chivas USA and all they had to do was give up some allocation. People criticized Dallas for this move at the time but I think it worked out well for both ends really. Before his injury, Pearce moved into the middle of the defense for Fraser and helped keep the Goats in contention.

8. Brandon McDonald to DC United from San Jose Earthquakes – When DC was looking to make upgrades one of them was McDonald. This one could possibly be one of the more underrated moves of the season. He has helped a young defense become better, not great but better.

9. Maicon Santos to FC Dallas from Toronto FC for Eric Avila – One of the many, many moves made by Toronto this year. This one really worked for both sides. Dallas needed a striker and Toronto needed to unload Santos.

10. Juan Pablo Angel to Chivas USA from LA Galaxy – It was either retire or move across the hall for JPA. He was a spark on offense that the Goats needed but not a big enough one to get them into the playoffs.

11. Sanna Nyassi to Colorado Rapids from Vancouver Whitecaps – This was one of those post-expansion draft moves by the Caps. It ended up working out pretty nicely in the middle of the year for the Rapids as Nyassi and Omar Cummings really came together nicely when Conor Casey went down with an injury.

Other trades of note:

O’Brien White from Toronto to Seattle (this one would have gotten up on the list had White not been out most of the year)